Citi analyst Ralph Giacobbe raised his 2016 estimates for UnitedHealth, premised on the quarterly results and the guidance. The analysts sees earnings per share of $7.92, upwardly revised from $7.87. Meanwhile, Citi raised its 2017 estimates to $9.09 per share from $8.71 per share, as it expects the exit next year of exchanges business, where it is facing pressure, will boost earnings.
Additionally, Citi raised its 2018 earnings per share estimate to $10.14 from $9.73, reflecting a carry forward effect of the adjustments to 2016 and 2017 estimates and small revisions to its quarterly estimates.
The firm maintains its rating on UnitedHealth at Buy, while raising its price target to $164 from $148, assuming a valuation of 18 times its 2017 earnings-per-share estimate instead of the 17 times previously modeled.
At time of writing, UnitedHealth was trading at $144.10, up 1.06 percent.
Full ratings data available on Benzinga Pro.Did you like this article? Could it have been improved? Please email feedback@benzinga.com with the story link to let us know!© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
date | ticker | name | Price Target | Upside/Downside | Recommendation | Firm |
|---|
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
